Azcentral reported that the Maricopa County recorder apologized for telling a voter on Facebook to “go F-yourself” after the voter criticized the county’s ballot materials.
If people are criticizing you publicly, how can you avoid telling them to “go F-yourself”? Maybe you prefer “eat s—t” or stop being an “a——.” And if you utter those words, what then? Tip one: Avoid foul language. Then follow these recommendations.
Take conversations offline. When social media criticism tempts you to write “go F-yourself,” gracefully give the person a phone number or email address to further discuss the situation. Don’t delete the criticism. Be bold enough to thank someone for their feedback. Calm down, plan out your thoughts, decide whom should respond and address the criticism with the person directly without the public glare of social media. Also, know your regular social media followers well enough to understand when a comment is not worth a response.
Respond rapidly. If a crisis erupts, get your side of the story out there quickly. Be timely. Don’t wait. Don’t hide. Don’t say, “No comment.” Don’t misleadingly claim that someone took your statements out of context or that you assumed you were off-the-record.
Choose where to officially respond. Will you respond during a news conference, during a one-on-one interview, in a news release, as part of a blog or on social media? Where will your target audiences most likely go to receive information about you and your organization? If you respond on Facebook Live, don’t say, “Are we live?” If reporters request a follow-up interview, will you display the courage to take questions?
Address the issue directly. Don’t mimic politicians who flood the airwaves with words but never actually answer the question. Don’t be vague. Don’t awkwardly change the subject.
Decide if and how to apologize. PR professionals may urge you to apologize. Your attorney may raise concerns about stating, “I’m sorry.” Will you directly apologize to someone or apologize in general? If you apologize, will you sound genuine? Speak from the heart instead of from notes.
Educate. Is your response an opportunity to educate the public and employees about the topic?
Monitor responses afterward. Don’t stay secluded in a bubble where yes-men shower you with accolades. Is the crisis continuing? How many people still call for your resignation? How many people continue to characterize you as a clown? Or are people thanking you for taking responsibility?
Create a plan. Don’t wait for someone in your C-suite to tell someone to “go F-themselves” to build a plan and team to handle a crisis. Take action now!
If you don’t like these recommendations, you can go … find additional ideas elsewhere. We welcome your suggestions.